Low interest rates are a boon to borrowers. Thus the Federal Reserve’s quest to hold interest rates artificially low during the current economic crisis. We’re told easy money will bolster the economy as consumers and businesses take advantage of low rates and spend.
But if you’re trying to save money, this anything but a boon. In fact, it’s nearly impossible to save for retirement in the current interest rate environment. Today, your average Joe is forced to invest in increasingly riskier assets in order to generate enough money to retire on.
Michael Osterholm is one of the doctors advising Joe Biden on the coronavirus. He has said the US needs to impose a complete lockdown for four to six weeks. Osterholm claims this won’t be a problem because the US government can just pay everybody. In other words, Uncle Sam would give every American a paid vacation.
In his podcast, Peter Schiff explained why this proposal is ridiculous.
Gold and silver sold off big and the Dow surged Monday on the announcement the Pfizer had successful coronavirus vaccine trials. But Friday Gold Wrap host Mike Maharrey says investors should maybe tap the brakes on thinking that a coronavirus vaccine is a cure-all. In this episode, the looks a little deeper at the long-term ramifications of a vaccine. He also breaks down the newest budget deficit numbers.
While the markets were giddy about the prospects of a coronavirus vaccine, the Federal Reserve was warning of more economic chaos on the horizon.
The Fed released its biannual Financial Stability Report Monday. The report warned we could see a wave of defaults and “significant declines” in asset prices in the near future.
Stocks soared, and gold and silver sold off Monday after Pfizer announced success in stage III coronavirus vaccine trials.
During his podcast, Peter Schiff talked about the crazy day in the markets and suggested we might want to tap the brakes when it comes to the excitement about a COVID vaccine because there is no vaccine for what actually ails the economy.
All eyes have been on the presidential election this week. It’s still not clear who will win – although it’s looking more like a Biden victory. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve held its November meeting this week. In this episode of the Friday Gold Wrap podcast, host Mike Maharrey offers some analysis of both the election and the Fed meeting. And he argues that what’s going on over at the Eccles Building might be more significant than who ends up in the White House.
The Federal Reserve balance sheet could be heading to $40-50 trillion or higher as the central bank continues to monetize US debt.
To borrow a phrase from the movie “Pretty Woman,” this is the fork they know. If the economy turns sour, the government borrows money and the Fed backstops it by buying Treasuries. The problem is there is no conceivable exit strategy.
The debt monster is loose.
S&P Global Ratings projects the global debt-to-GDP level will swell to a record 265% this year. It also expects insolvencies and defaults to rise to levels not seen since the 2009 crisis.
The US stock market is coming off its worst week since March. It was also the worst pre-election stock market in history. In his latest podcast, Peter talked about the market, the election and what’s likely ahead.
Gold and silver have had a tough week. So have stocks. In a lot of ways, it looked like March all over again, with worries about increasing COVID-19 cases and new lockdowns. But then we got the Q3 GDP number and that injected a dose of optimism. In this episode of the Friday Gold Wrap podcast, host Mike Maharrey talks about the dynamics in the markets and provides a little reality check on that big GDP number.
